Steve Taylor was born in Brawley, California, and spent his formative years in Denver, Colorado, where he developed a passion for music, filmmaking, and acting. He pursued his interests at Colorado University in Boulder, studying music, filmmaking, and acting, and laying the foundation for a career that would span decades.
Taylor's music career has been marked by numerous accolades, including two Grammy nominations for his albums "Meltdown" and "Squint". He made history by becoming the only artist to win the Billboard Music Video Awards for self-directed music videos twice. As the frontman of the MCA-signed alternative rock band Chagall Guevara, he gained recognition through the soundtrack of the movie "Pump Up The Volume". Additionally, he has directed music videos for various artists, including the critically acclaimed Francois Truffaut homage for Sixpence None The Richer's "Kiss Me", shot on location in Paris.
As a music video director, Taylor has an impressive track record, with credits including the long-form video "Squint: Movies From The Soundtrack", which he wrote, directed, and starred in. The film was shot on 35mm film in ten countries around the world, including Vietnam, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.
In preparation for his first feature film, Taylor spent two years studying the Meisner technique under the guidance of acting teacher Bill Feheely. His impressive filmmaker resume includes the writer/director credits for "The Second Chance" for Sony, and "Blue Like Jazz", based on Donald Miller's New York Times bestselling memoir. The latter premiered at the South By Southwest Film Festival and won the 2013 Wilbur Award for Best Feature Film, joining an esteemed list of past winners that includes "Schindler's List", "Dead Man Walking", and "The Help".
Taylor is currently the producer of two upcoming feature films: "Sun Moon" for Sony Affirm, filmed on location in Taiwan, and "Sketch", starring two-time Emmy winner Tony Hale, which will premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
As a respected figure in the film industry, Steve Taylor serves as Filmmaker-In-Residence at Lipscomb University, where he also earned his MFA in Film and Creative Media. He resides in Nashville with his wife, the artist D.L. Taylor, and their daughter.
